Victoria, British Columbia has been named the world’s best city in this year’s Conde Nast Travellers’ Readers Choice Awards, while Canada owned the top three picks for world’s friendliest cities. Victoria was third in the friendly category, while Edmonton came second and Calgary was first. Dublin, Ireland was fourth and Quebec City fifth, giving Canada four of the top five spots. I might push for St. John’s or Saskatoon or Regina as the friendliest city in the country if I had a vote, but I suspect Conde Nast readers aren’t as familiar with them as they are with the winning Read more
Victoria
I’m heading to Los Angeles this weekend to meet with tourism and travel representatives from across Australia and hear about wonderful things to see and do. I’m very excited about this, as I’ve come to dearly love the beauty and people of The Land Down Under, which is home to scintillating cities, amazing nature, rich aboriginal culture, isolated islands and more than a few bizarre animals. Here’s a look at 10 of my fave experiences in Australia, a country I’ve been lucky enough to visit four times over the years. LORD HOWE ISLAND, New South Wales Only the most nerdy Read more
A Canadian parliamentary committee is calling for sweeping changes to Canada’s air passenger rights rules, including better compensation regulations for those facing delayed or cancelled flights, and tougher enforcement of the rules. Canadian Press reports that the recommendations, tabled in Ottawa on Tuesday (April 18), comes after chaotic travel seasons over the summer and winter holidays brought on by soaring demand, labour shortages and winter storms. The House of Commons standing committee on transport offered 21 recommendations, including stronger monetary penalties, smoother processing of compensation claims and automatic payout offers after cancellations, significant delays or denial of boarding. The Globe Read more
Australia is a known ‘hot’ spot for immersing yourself in the natural world. Uniquely, every state on the continent boasts numerous undeveloped, and developed springs and waterholes, and many are directly accessible via major cities — making it THE quintessential destination for a road trip. To top it off: most are also surrounded by indigenous areas/experiences and national parks. 2023 ushers in a huge number of NEW luxury, and immersive natural experiences and lodging options for travelers that make now a great time to pen a story (and book a trip). MELBOURNE, VICTORIA Just a few hours from Melbourne, visitors Read more
Conde Nast Travel has put out its annual list of top cities, islands, airlines and hotels, and both my home state and adopted country did well. Hawai’i, which is like home to me, also put on a strong performance, as did Florida. The magazine today listed Victoria as the number two small city in the world, while Montreal (10) and Quebec City (5) were named among the top ten best big cities on the planet. Chicago was first for big U.S. cities, followed by Honolulu and San Diego. San Francisco was seventh for big U.S. cities, and New York City Read more
